San Francisco.. Ah,
where to start! The city of hills, multi-coloured Victorian homes, cable cars
and fog. If you've been following along on Instagram or Snapchat (@gabpacifico)
you would have seen my mom and I took a pre-Holiday vacation to take in a few
days in the Bay area. We spent our days
walking endlessly, trying all the restaurants that we possibly could, and
exploring the different areas of the city. Although the sun may have only
graced us once we had such a great time. San Fran is a undeniably beautiful city
with so much to do and see. I put together a mini diary from our stay as being
here only a few days makes me in no way an expert on the city. I'm sharing my
favourites from where to find some delicious coffee, shop local and see some
great views.
Stay
We went on a limb
booking this trip as we didn't know much about San Francisco prior to going. We
stayed at the Marker Hotel which was a few minutes walk from Union Square.
Union Square is the main shopping area in San Fran, and the amount of stores in this vicinity will literally blow
your mind. I mean-- Neiman Marcus,
Nordstrom, Macy's, Bergdorf's, all within a few minutes walk?! Staying near
Union Square may be touristy but it is definitely central.
I loved the Marker for the hydration stations outside the elevator (I need to remember to drink more water while travelling), and their wine reception from 5:00-6:00pm. Coming back to a glass or two after a long day of site-seeing was definitely appreciated! The rooms were a fine size, and there was wifi. What more did we need?
Eat
Breakfast is my
favourite meal of the day, so I always try scope out some must try spots before leaving home. Favourites included Jane and Café St. Jorge (which was a mission to get to,
as it is in the Mission!). Jane has two locations and I recommend venturing out to the location on Filmore Street that way you can shop this adorable street. Jane's menu is full of healthy salads, avo toast (obvi), smoothies and more. Their counter is stacked with treats, gluten free goodies, and take home granola. I wanted to try it all! You also cannot go to San Francisco without trying Mr.Holmes Bakeshop for some seriously delicious
pastries, and no, sadly we didn't make the 9:00AM cruffin craze. Other notables that I would have loved to try are Tartine and Dandelion Chocolate. There never is enough time, is there?!
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{Jane on Larkin Street} |
For lunch I loved Souvla, for a healthy take on Greek food. And Jane again… we could't get enough! You could also head down to Fisherman's Warf for some seafood, or a bowl of Boudin's famous calm chowder. There is also an insane amount of Mexican restaurants in San Fran. Check out Trip Advisor to choose your favourite! We had a delicious meal at Colibri.
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{Jane on Filmore} |
The coffee scene in San Francisco is one of the best I've experienced. We tried the famous Blue Bottle, Peet'z, and -my personal favourite- Philz. Philz focuses on my favourite kind of coffee-- drip. But it's their blends that are so creative and tasty. My favourite was the Tesora- full of butter, nut and caramel aromas. So comforting!
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{Cafe St.Jorge} |
Do
Some of my favourite moments from this trip were spent just wandering the streets! There are so many different neighbourhoods to visit which makes it's hard to see it all. Hayes Valley was one of my favourite areas for shops and eating.
Filmore Street also became a favourite area of mine. Be sure to pop into Nest for some unique decor finds, as well as Jonathon Adler. There is also a Rebecca Minkoff boutique as well as Alive + Olivia. For beauty finds be sure to hit up the Benefit boutique, Aesop and -my favourite- Credo Beauty for clean and natural beauty products.
We took the time to walk up Lombard Street for some incredible views, took a stroll through Chinatown, and made it all the way to be pier. We had a Full House moment in Alamo Square, and we also walked through the famous Haight-Asbury and found some pretty interesting characters along the way. You must jump on a cable car just for the sake of it, and make your way across the Golden Gate bridge. Like I said, SO much to do!
Keep scrolling for more pics! And stay tuned for more from San Francisco and Palm Springs.
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{Souvla} |
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{Philz, and a cable car decked out for the Holidays} |
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{Haight-Ashbury} |
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{Mr.Holmes Bakshop} |
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{Octavia Street} |
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{delicious- Smitten ice cream} |
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{houses around Alamo Square} |
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{walking up Lombard Street} |
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{Chinatown} |
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{Mom (aka the best travel partner!) and I} |
Have you ever been to San Francisco? What are your favourite things to do in this stunning city?
Well now I want to travel. This looks like such a lovely trip with your mama. bear, and the food looks delicious.
ReplyDeleteEleni xo
Bijuleni
The travel bug never goes away! And I definitely recommend visiting San Fran!
Deletexx
Omgsh - those pictures bring it all back! It was fabulous - all those sights! And the food at Cafe St. Jorge, Jane, Souvla, and Smitten - definitely ! 😉 We need to plan our next trip! XO
ReplyDeleteYay! The best time. Let's do it.
Deletexx
Yay! I was hoping you'd post about your trip. It looked like you had such a great time...and ate very well.
ReplyDeleteI've never been that far west before, but it's on my like of places I'd like to visit. The sites alone look so breathtaking!
Jackie
Something About That
So beautiful! The landscape is unlike anything I've experienced. And there is more coming from this trip :)
Deletexx
Looks like the most incredible trip, Gabriella! All of these amazing coffee shops make me want to jump on a plane and head back to San Francisco!
ReplyDeleteJoëlle
La Petite Noob
Thanks for your recommendations! I loved Hayes Valley!
Deletexx
Great photos! San Fran is one of my favourite cities, and now I have some new places to check out!
ReplyDeleteKris | Love. Loft. Life.
I'm jealous that you go often! It is a beautiful city.
Deletexx
Such a great recap, It looks like you had such an amazing trip! I love all of the bright colours and palm trees! I need a vacation!
ReplyDeleteXO Kaylee
http://www.theblondielocks.com/
Thanks so much, Kaylee! We did have a fabulous time.
Deletexx
I enjoy every photo you have posted. Such energy and taste.
ReplyDeleteMes vives salutations !
If you had taken me in this trip, I would have made a beautiful poem for you!
ReplyDeletewhat a lovely place. Wonderful pictures! We just visited Mr. Holmes bakeshop and got Baked (lol). Next time will be even better (thanks to your wonderful blog). A question, are there any event space NYC you recommend I can check out?
ReplyDeleteI have a few posts on NYC! Just search it in the search box!
Deletexx
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